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2013 Hyundai Veloster Fuel Economy

From one perspective a sporty, rakish hatchback--and from another a frugal little urban runabout--the Hyundai Veloster is one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles in its class, thanks to a choice among three different six-speed transmissions.

The non-turbo Veloster is primed for good gas mileage, in either shift mode. But it's important to know that the Veloster's initial fuel-economy ratings have been filed down by the EPA. The manual gearbox at first was rated at 28 mpg city, 40 highway, while the dual-clutch automatic had been uprated to 29/40 mpg as well.

As green as gas-only hatchbacks get, the Veloster gets up to 37 mpg on the highway, with Turbo versions scoring up to 35 mpg.

The base Veloster now is rated at 27/37 mpg for the manual, or 27/35 mpg with the dual-clutch automatic.

In brief early testing, we saw about 32 mpg overall in nearly 120 miles in a DCT car, then about 30 mpg over about 80 miles in a manual car—in both cases including some very enthusiastic driving and steep hills.

Veloster Turbo models are less efficient, but manuals aren't as far off the mark as versions with a six-speed automatic. They're now rated by the EPA at 24/35 mpg (down from 26/38 mpg) with the manual shifter, and drop to 24/31 mpg (formerly 25/34 mpg) with the automatic. Because of the Turbo's high torque, Hyundai doesn't offer its efficient dual-clutch automatic on the more powerful Veloster.

Owners can register with Hyundai to receive reimbursement for the extra gas they've used, based on the initial EPA claims; more details are found at HyundaiMPGInfo.com.